David Brailsford, the coach behind Team GB’s phenomenal cycling success, gets a CBE.

Outside the world of sport, Ton Pentre-born conductor Owain Arwel Hughes, who founded the Welsh Proms, gets a CBE, and plastic surgeon William Dickson, who pioneered the treatment for six-year-old burns victim Sidra Afzal of Fleur-de-Lys, Caerphilly, gets an MBE.

Former carpenter Ray Smith from Michaelston receives an MBE for his work in medieval carpentry at St Fagans National History Museum.

And Libby Jones, 55, is awarded the MBE for her services to vulnerable people in Wales.

The mother-of-two from Edwardsville, Merthyr Tydfil, is the managing director of New Pathways organisation. She pioneered Wales’ first sexual assault referral centre in Merthyr Tydfil.

And today, as the secrecy over the Honours List is lifted, they and their families speak about their recognition.

Swimmer Roberts’ mum Carol said: “To be honest, it’s about time he gained recognition for his efforts.

“He is the first to praise others, but he doesn’t give himself enough credit – I’m delighted.”

Cooke’s agent, Richard Owen, said the 23-year-old world champion cyclist, who is currently abroad, was surprised.

“She is delighted by the reaction she has received from the British public,” he said.

“It has been a massive year for her and this MBE is the icing on the cake.”

Her proud dad Tony added: “After all that has happened this year, I think we have said all we can say, but we are very proud of our young lady.”

Fellow cyclist Geraint Thomas who, along with his teammates, broke the cycling world record at the Olympics, said: “I found out a couple of weeks ago and just told my close friends and family; my mum’s pretty happy.

“But at the end of the day I’m just riding my bike; it seems pretty strange to be getting an award.

“Even at the Olympics all I was thinking of was just riding my bike. It was the way we all coped with the pressure, just to think of the wooden track.

“Obviously I’m proud to have the British jersey on my back and to be receiving such an honour.”

In a career spanning 40 years, Owain Arwel Hughes has conducted and recorded many of the world’s leading orchestras, and is the driving force behind the success of the Cardiff Welsh Proms.

Speaking from Denmark, where he is currently conducting, he said: “I’m very proud to be the recipient of this wonderful honour and look forward very much to an exciting year of music making.”

A New Year’s Honours award was just the tonic for poorly Libby Jones.

Nursing the flu, the grandmother’s spirits were raised when she was at last able to share the good news and look forward to the New Year. Seventeen years ago, Mrs Jones became a telephone volunteer for a helpline set up for victims of rape and sexual abuse.

When that was disbanded, she took up the reins and launched New Pathways, a support and counselling organisation for men, women and children who have suffered trauma caused by rape or sexual abuse.

She has been developing the service for the last 15 years.

“I ran with it even though we didn’t have any money,” she said. “It’s been very hard and is still very difficult because it’s trying to meet the needs of a silent part of society.

“Unless you are an agency dealing with it, you really don’t know the kind of epidemic we have out there.”

Dedicating her award to her team, she said: “I couldn’t have done it without them. I’m absolutely thrilled, I can’t believe it. What an honour.

“If the award will do anything to highlight the work that we do and the service needs for these vulnerable people, then I am a happy person and I will have done my job and will be very proud.

“I’m just overwhelmed. I don’t think I deserve it. I just think the people themselves deserve the medals, the victims who have gone through the trauma and make it to the other end.”

Dr Dickson’s colleague, Calum Campbell, said: “Bill and his team were closely involved in the role the [Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery] played in the aftermath of the Port Talbot Corus explosion in 2001 and, of course, the many other burns injuries cases which may not always make the news, but which still need the exceptional care and treatment offered by the centre.”